7 Tips To Celebrate a Nature Friendly Healthy Diwali

It’s only a few days from the Diwali 2015 and I’m sure you’re already excited about its celebration. Diwali, the word is enough to perk up your spirits. It also leads to visions of deafening explosions, sparkling lights and burning lamps.

Lights, crackers and burning missiles create an environment of happiness and gaiety.

This is the most loved and awaited festival of all. That is not all; it is celebrated by almost all ethnic groups because of the sheer enjoyment which is enjoyed by all age groups.

Deepawali is also a festival in which the whole family is involved; it keeps everyone busy and amused.

But, amidst all the gaiety and celebrations, there are certain aspects to this awesome, flashy event that need severe introspection.

The burning of crackers has its own negative impact on environment. The various harmful effects of burning crackers are as follows:

Air pollution: Crackers cause severe air pollution and are a major threat to people with respiratory problems.

A major residue of a burning cracker are gases like Nitrous Oxide and Sulfur Dioxide which are a health hazard by themselves; besides, they linger for some times unless it rains. These two are greenhouse gases.

Noise pollution can be a source of great nuisance apart from its deafening effects. Children are likely to suffer prolonged or permanent hearing damage if a cracker bursts before they are able to move away to a safe distance.

The blast and the burning of a cracker consume vital oxygen; this should be avoided.

Mountains of garbage are produced; most of it is burnt on the spot by us or by the sweepers. This leads to further depletion of oxygen.

Apart from the colossal wastage in terms of money the effect to the environment cannot be calculated or recovered.Discomfort to the animals, the old and the sickly is also a disconcerting feature of Diwali.

Safety and security are paramount. As such, it is necessary to guard against the negative effects of this day.

The comforting thought is that, even if it is a handful of people who practice this, it is still a positive beginning. Here are a few tips for you to celebrate this Diwali in a more nature friendly manner:

Avoid crackers: Seems to be the bottom line for sane thinking individuals but there some religious connotations to such matters. It is, probably, the best option for a variety of reasons both eco-friendly and economical.

Use more flowers: It is necessary to shift from using synthetic colors to flowers for decoration purpose; synthetic colors use toxins. If you want to make a Rangoli, it is advisable to use natural colors like turmeric, or rice flour. Do not use decorative materials prepared from plastic and polythene.

Use eco-friendly material: For packaging gifts choose gifts wrapping materials which are recyclable. Newspapers are the best, readily available packing material.

Use Diyas: Candles can prove to be a health hazard in view of the toxic material that they contain. Even if no toxins are added to Paraffin, Carcinogenic fumes are released when Paraffin is burned. This is due to the fact that Paraffin is produced from waste material. Respiratory problems like Asthma can be caused by candles; on the other hand diyas dissolve in water.

Community celebrations: have been suggested to localize and limit the negative effects of celebrations but there has not been compliance to this. But, there are some clubs and societies that have taken it up though in a small way.

Do not decorate your home with too many electric lights, as the power consumption also leads to a lot of harmful effects on the environment. Use natural methods like flowers for decoration. Keep the lighting to minimal and switch to LED lighting options which consume lesser power.

In addition to keeping the environment safe, it’s also important to celebrate the festival of Diwali in harmony without engaging in activities like alcohol drinking and gambling. There is no doubt how harmful alcohol can be for human body when taken above moderate quantities.